Jan Karski bench unveiled in Warsaw

On June 11 at 3 pm a Jan Karski bench was unveiled in the square in front of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews. It is the third bench of this type in Poland and the sixth in the world.

The ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Warsaw Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, the director of the Museum of Polish History Robert Kostro, the director of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews Andrzej Cudak, representatives of the Jewish community, Jewish organizations and the Polish Society of the Righteous among the Nations, and diplomats. After the unveiling of the bench the assembled guests viewed an exhibition prepared by the Museum of Polish History – “Jan Karski. A Man of Freedom” – displayed on panels in front of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews.

The bench is equipped with a sound device which allows one to listen to Karski’s memories from before the war as well as from the war itself.

Jan Karski (1914-2000) – was an emissary and courier of the Polish Secret State during World War II. As a witness of the Holocaust, he presented his famous “Karski Report” on the extermination of Jews in occupied Poland to the governments of the allied powers.